ANDERSON, S.C. — They are up long before daylight and in bed way after dark. Checking in and out of hotels for weeks at the time. Drive through fast food and takeout grub eaten on and with plastic. Working in all kinds of weather, rain or shine, bone chilling cold or sweat pouring heat.
Who would think of doing this for a living? Meet the unsung heroes of the Bassmaster Elite Series that do it with skillful pride. They are the factory-trained service technicians who the pros call their most important asset—on and off the water.
On tournament days service techs respond to calls for help on the water with the same urgency as first responders. The techs take great pride in getting the job done with pit crew speed. With equal vigor the repairs are made following the weigh in at the designated parking lot where crews set up shop.
The service crew numbers over a dozen dedicated company personnel that represent top brands in the industry. They travel and work together—sometimes on equipment of opposing brands—and will do whatever it takes to get the job done.
“What a lot of people don’t know about them is they shy away from attention,” said veteran Elite Series pro Mark Menendez. “We as anglers cannot do without them and we just cannot thank them enough.”
B.A.S.S. paid it forward with a gesture of appreciation at the 2019 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell. On Saturday afternoon the entire crew was treated to lunch at the Elite Expo held at Green Pond Landing & Event Center near Anderson.
“We depend on them more than anyone can imagine,” said Trip Weldon, Bassmaster tournament director. “It’s our job to keep the tournament running smoothly, but without them it wouldn’t happen at all.”
It takes a total team effort to make it all run, and they are the hidden heroes who deserve a lot of credit,” he added.